Passionate Repurposing in a Heritage Home
Timeworn and unique items come back to life in this East Vancouver townhouse rental. When Tami and Josh Knepper relocated here five decades ago, they designed their home to mirror who they’re: “diverse, quirky and a little weird,” Tami says. From a mural made from contact paper into Josh’s old Spiderman robe, this heritage home reflects the Kneppers’ imaginative, artistic and lively personalities.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Tami and Josh Knepper, with their 2 dachshunds, Mayer and Rado
Location: East Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Size: 1,000 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 3 porches
Heather Merenda
Josh and Tami enjoy repurposing pieces they find for free. Their weathered area leather sofa is just one of Craigslist finds. Once they took it home, they found out Mexican designer Don S. Shoemaker had left the sofa by hand. “I love things with a modest built-in background,” says Tami (displayed here).
Heather Merenda
Heather Merenda
“Our decorating doctrine is that nothing is permanent,” Tami says. “I am a merchandiser by commerce, and Josh is a filmmaker, therefore we are continuously inspired by things around us and wanting to make something new or change things up” Whenever friends come to see, they’re not surprised to realize that the living area was rearranged or some things have changed in the home.
Carpet: Value Village; shelving: Besta system, Ikea
Heather Merenda
Little collections, including these vintage postcards and Pez dispensers, are tucked all over the home. “The shorter list of things are exactly what we don’t collect. We kind of see ourselves as a foster home for trendy things,” says Tami.
Heather Merenda
An eclectic gallery of wedding photos, art and memorabilia hangs behind the couple’s bed. Tami’s wedding dress, refashioned from her mother’s 1972 wedding dress, hangs to the right. Josh’s wedding-day lawsuit, designed by his buddies at Elmer Avenue, hangs on the left. “I can’t bear to get them ripped up and unseen,” Tami says.
Tami repurposed dairy crates as bedside tables. She scored the stunning yellow velvet tufted headboard on Craigslist.
Art: “Practice Love” print, Urban Outfitters; watercolor: from Argentina
Heather Merenda
Tami enjoys being in their bedroom. “Out of those five places Josh and I’ve lived in together, here is the first one we have put a great deal of work into creating it our refuge”
She plans to upgrade the vintage pie safe in the bedroom with new hardware and replace the metal and missing displays with a distinctive embroidered mesh display.
Cloth cactus arrangement:Ariana Shadlyn
Heather Merenda
Tami made this picture mural in the bedroom for Josh. “We like to surprise each other with things that are materialistic. It was this eyesore before, particularly as the first thing that you see coming up the stairs,” she states.
Her inspiration for the mural came from a photograph of typography painted above a door. She left the mural with a overhead projector and a few shelf-liner contact paper so that it will peel off whenever they move. “I think it’s the perfect cute and cheeky saying for the bedroom,” she states.
Heather Merenda
A second bedroom is currently the couple’s walk-in cupboard. Besides working in merchandising, Tami runs on the Etsy vintage shop called The Cloven Heart. Section of her jewellery collection hangs above the ornate original mantel.
Watch a brief video tour of this closet space on The Cloven Heart blog.
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The couple found the cupboard storage systems for free.
Heather Merenda
“The bathroom is always the first room I work on when I move to a home,” Tami says. “It’s so essential to my sanity to have a fairly and well-organized toilet” The couple added a cupboard above the vanity and shelves above the toilet.
Thrifted and personal memorabilia fills the hallway, including Josh’s youth Spiderman robe along with a sign in the summer camp he attended as a kid. A painting with their buddy Pamela Scharback along with an original piece by Josh also hang display.
Washroom hint: Anthropologie; shower curtain: Urban Outfitters
Heather Merenda
Entry hall graffiti by an artist that lived there before sets the tone for the rest of the home. The couple added their own chalkboard wall to the stair landing. “We love the quirkiness you get from prior tenants making their very own renovations,” Tami says.
Heather Merenda
These patio chairs (and those in the living area) were liberated, from a neighborhood restaurant being renovated. Josh made the timber plank artwork from cedar shingles.
Heather Merenda
Tami sits with Mayer and Rado in the next bedroom. “I love East Vancouver. It’s gritty, it doesn’t put on airs, and it’s growing so much better. We love being in communities where we could see expansion happening,” she states.
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